Vehicle driver safety performance based on relativity

Abstract

Systems, methods, and techniques for determining optimal safe driving behaviors and optimal safety thresholds of the various parameters for particular routes are disclosed. Historical driver data for a plurality of drivers operating vehicles over various routes during different contextual situations and/or different combinations of conditions along the routes is analyzed to determine respective, relative weightings/contributions of various parameters towards driving safety. Data indicative of a particular driver's behavior along a particular route during a particular set of conditions or contexts is obtained and compared to the analysis results to thereby determine or assess the driver's safety performance. The driver's safety performance may be evaluated in real-time, e.g., based on up-to-the-minute or currently obtained drivers' data, so as to provide the driver with evaluation results, provide the driver with suggestions for improving driving safety, and/or automatically adjust an operation of the vehicle while the vehicle is traversing the particular route.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A system for determining driver performance, the system comprising:
 a processor; and 
 memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:
 causing a sensor carried by a vehicle to capture a first set of data, wherein the first set of data is captured while the vehicle is operated by a driver to traverse a route; 
 accessing a second set of data exclusive of the first set of data, the second set of data comprising sensor data captured as a plurality of vehicles traversed respective routes, the second set of data indicating:
 dynamic contextual attributes of the respective routes, and 
 historical driving behaviors of one or more other drivers distinct from the driver and corresponding to the dynamic contextual attributes, wherein the historical driving behaviors were exhibited by the one or more other drivers, while traversing the respective routes using the plurality of vehicles, and characterized by the sensor data; 
 
 determining a safe driving threshold based at least in part on the dynamic contextual attributes and the historical driving behaviors; 
 determining that at least a subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, wherein the subset of the first set of data is associated with a parameter associated with a driver behavior or a vehicle behavior; 
 based at least in part on determining that the at least the subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, generating an operating instruction executable by a processor of the vehicle; 
 transmitting the operating instruction to the processor of the vehicle causing the processor of the vehicle to modify an operational behavior of the vehicle such that the parameter is below the safe driving threshold as the vehicle traverses the route; and 
 determining a metric indicating a driving performance of the driver and corresponding to the route, wherein the metric is determined based at least in part on the first set of data and the safe driving threshold. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor carried by the vehicle is fixedly attached to the vehicle or comprises a component of a mobile electronic device disposed in the vehicle. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second set of data includes first parameters indicating driving behaviors associated with the one or more other drivers, and second parameters indicating operating behaviors associated with respective vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, the operations further comprising:
 determining, based at least in part on the dynamic contextual attributes and the historical driving behaviors, respective weight values for each of the first parameters and the second parameters; and 
 determining the metric further based at least in part on the respective weight values. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining that the safe driving threshold differs from a predetermined driving threshold, the predetermined driving threshold corresponding to the route and being established independent of the first set of data; and 
 generating the operating instruction is further based at least in part on determining that the safe driving threshold differs from the predetermined driving threshold. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein causing the processor to modify the operational behavior of the vehicle comprises causing the processor to modify the operational behavior such that the vehicle operates within the safe driving threshold and outside of the predetermined driving threshold. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sensor carried by the vehicle comprises a first set of sensors, and the first set of data further includes data captured by a second set of sensors disposed in an environment along the route; 
 the second set of sensors includes at least one of: a sensor fixedly disposed in the environment along the route, or a sensor disposed at other vehicles in the environment along the route that are different from the plurality of vehicles; and 
 the data captured by the second set of sensors indicates the dynamic contextual attributes of the route, the data captured by the second set of sensors comprising at least one of a behavior of the driver, a behavior of the vehicle, or an environmental condition of the route. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic contextual attributes of the route comprise at least one of: weather, road congestion, or traffic. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor carried by the vehicle comprises at least one of: a camera, an optical sensor, a speed sensor, a weight sensor, a noise sensor, a heat sensor, an accelerometer, a location tracking sensor, a proximity sensor, a seat belt sensor, or a sensor to detect an operation of an instrument included in the vehicle. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise characterizing a driving event occurring along a portion of the route as being safe based on the safe driving threshold, wherein the driving event would have been characterized as unsafe based on a predetermined driving threshold. 
     
     
       10. A method comprising:
 causing a first set of data to be captured by a sensor carried by a vehicle, wherein the first set of data is captured while the vehicle is operated by a driver to traverse a route; 
 accessing a second set of data exclusive of the first set of data, the second set of data comprising sensor data captured as a plurality of vehicles traversed respective routes, the second set of data indicating:
 dynamic contextual attributes of the respective routes, and 
 historical driving behaviors of one or more other drivers distinct from the driver and corresponding to the dynamic contextual attributes, wherein the historical driving behaviors were exhibited by the one or more other drivers, while traversing the respective routes using the plurality of vehicles, and characterized by the sensor data; 
 
 determining a safe driving threshold based at least in part on the dynamic contextual attributes and the historical driving behaviors; 
 determining that at least a subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, wherein the subset of the first set of data is associated with a parameter associated with a driver behavior or a vehicle behavior; 
 based at least in part on determining that the at least the subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, generating an operating instruction executable by a processor of the vehicle; 
 transmitting the operating instruction to the processor of the vehicle causing the processor of the vehicle to modify an operational behavior of the vehicle such that the parameter is below the safe driving threshold as the vehicle traverses the route; and 
 determining a metric indicating a driving performance of the driver and corresponding to the route, wherein the metric is determined based at least in part on the first set of data and the safe driving threshold. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the second set of data includes first parameters indicating driving behaviors associated with the one or more other drivers, and second parameters indicating operating behaviors associated with respective vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, further comprising:
 determining, based at least in part on the dynamic contextual attributes and the historical driving behaviors, respective weight values for each of the first parameters and the second parameters; and 
 determining the safe driving threshold is further based at least in part on the respective weight values. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining the respective weight values amongst the first parameters and the second parameters further based at least in part on generating a model defining the respective weight values amongst the first parameters and the second parameters; and 
 determining the metric based at least in part on applying the model to the first set of data. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 generating, based on at least one of the driving performance of the driver or the first set of data, at least one of an alert or a suggested driving behavior; and 
 transmitting the at least one of the alert or the suggested driving behavior to the vehicle operated by the driver. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first set of data is captured by at least one of:
 sensors fixedly attached to the vehicle or sensors included in a mobile electronic device disposed in the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the sensor carried by the vehicle is a first set of sensors; 
 the method further comprises collecting data obtained by a third set of sensors disposed in an environment along the route while the vehicle traverses the route, the third set of sensors including at least one of: sensors fixedly disposed in the environment along the route, sensors disposed at other vehicles in the environment along the route that are different from the plurality of vehicles; 
 the data obtained by the third set of sensors indicates the dynamic contextual attributes of the route, the data obtained by the third set of sensors comprising at least one of a behavior of the driver, a behavior of the vehicle, or an environmental condition of the route; and 
 the method further comprises determining that a subset of a third set of data corresponding to the route includes data indicative of the dynamic contextual attributes of the route obtained while a plurality of drivers operate the plurality of vehicles over the route. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor carried by the vehicle comprises at least one of: a camera, an optical sensor, a speed sensor, a weight sensor, a noise sensor, a heat sensor, an accelerometer, a force sensor, a location tracking sensor, a proximity sensor, a seat belt sensor, or a sensor to detect an operation of an instrument included in the vehicle. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
 cause a sensor carried by a vehicle to capture a first set of data, wherein the first set of data is captured while the vehicle is operated by a driver to traverse a route; 
 access a second set of data exclusive of the first set of data, the second set of data comprising sensor data, captured as a plurality of vehicles traversed respective routes, the second set of data indicating:
 dynamic contextual attributes of the respective routes, and 
 historical driving behaviors of one or more other drivers distinct from the driver and corresponding to the dynamic contextual attributes, wherein the historical driving behaviors were exhibited by the one or more other drivers, while traversing the respective routes using the plurality of vehicles, and characterized by the sensor data; 
 
 determine a safe driving threshold based at least in part on the dynamic contextual attributes and the historical driving behaviors; 
 determining that at least a subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, wherein the subset of the first set of data is associated with a parameter associated with a driver behavior or a vehicle behavior; 
 based at least in part on determining that the at least the subset of the first set of data meets or exceeds the safe driving threshold, generating an operating instruction executable by a processor of the vehicle; 
 transmitting the operating instruction to the processor of the vehicle causing the processor of the vehicle to modify an operational behavior of the vehicle such that the parameter is below the safe driving threshold as the vehicle traverses the route; 
 determine a metric indicating a driving performance of the driver and corresponding to the route, wherein the metric is determined based at least in part on the first set of data and the safe driving threshold; and 
 transmit the metric to a user interface of the vehicle as at least one of an alert, warning, or notification. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , further comprising characterizing a driving event occurring along a portion of the route as being safe based on the safe driving threshold, wherein the driving event would have been characterized as unsafe based on a predetermined driving threshold. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the sensor carried by the vehicle comprises at least one of: a camera, an optical sensor, a speed sensor, a weight sensor, a noise sensor, a heat sensor, an accelerometer, a force sensor, a location tracking sensor, a proximity sensor, a seat belt sensor, or a sensor to detect an operation of an instrument included in the vehicle. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the sensor carried by the vehicle is fixedly attached to the vehicle or comprises of a mobile electronic device disposed in the vehicle.